Addressing A Dangerous Epidemic: Abuse Of Painkillers And Other Prescription Drugs

October 7, 2013 by Ankita Rao Kaiser Health News

About 50 Americans die every day from a prescription drug overdose — a tally that, in most states, turns out to be more than deaths from car accidents.

In a new report, “Prescription Drug Abuse: Strategies to Stop the Epidemic,” researchers at the Trust for America’s Health found that rates of overdose and addiction doubled since 1999 in most states. In West Virginia — the state with the highest number of drug overdose deaths — the rate was six times higher than fourteen years ago.

During a conference call on Monday, the researchers said the emergence of prescription drugs like oxycodone has benefitted many people but is also marked by a corresponding rise in misuse.

“Working on this report, we were overwhelmed by the number of sad stories of tragedies that could have been averted,” said Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America’s Health.